|
ANC-Illinois Hosts International Conference on Ottoman Genocides
SKOKIE, Ill.—The largest academic conference ever held focusing on the Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek genocides concluded on Sat., May 11, after two days of presentations by more than a dozen scholars from Armenia, Australia, England, and across North America.
The event, titled “The Ottoman Turkish Genocides of Anatolian Christians: A Common Case Study,” was organized by the Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Illinois, the Assyrian Center for Genocide Studies, and the Asia Minor and Pontos Hellenic Research Center, and was held at the prestigious Illinois Holocaust Museum and Educational Center in Skokie on May 10-11. With more than 120 participants each day, the conference was filled to capacity with an enthusiastic audience.
“There was a great deal of new and interesting research presented during the conference,” said ANC of Illinois activist Greg Bedian. “This conference clearly demonstrated the many shared aspects of the Greek, Assyrian, and Armenian Genocides and…
Read More »
• Email to a friend • Article Search •
Cicilline Calls for Recognition, Apology
WASHINGTON—On May 16, U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline (D-R.I.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in a statement called on Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was visiting the United States, to formally acknowledge and apologize for the Armenian Genocide.
“Two million Armenian men, women, and children living under the jurisdiction of the Ottoman Empire were systematically slaughtered or forced to leave their homeland,” the statement read. “There is no doubt that this heinous, organized assault on the Armenian people constituted the first genocide of the 20th century. And yet, even today, nearly a hundred years later, the Turkish government continues to ignore the preponderance of evidence and deny a historical reality.”
“As Prime Minister Erdogan works to improve his country’s standing in the Middle East, and develop a stronger relationship with the United States, he should take this opportunity to acknowledge the atrocities that occurred…
Read More »
• Email to a friend • Article Search •
Sassounian: House Resolution Goes Beyond Recognition Seeking Truth and Justice
In a welcome move, four members of the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a resolution that advocates a new approach for the pursuit of Armenian rights in Congress, going beyond genocide recognition.
This new bipartisan initiative, introduced by Congressmen David Valadao (R-Calif.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.), and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), is appropriately titled, “Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Act.”
It is well known that the U.S. government has recognized the Armenian Genocide on several occasions, starting in 1951 by the submission of an official document to the International Court of Justice (World Court), followed by President Ronald Reagan’s Presidential Proclamation of April 22, 1981, and through two House resolutions in 1975 and 1984.
The proposed measure calls on President Obama “to work toward equitable, constructive, and durable Armenian-Turkish relations based upon the Republic of Turkey’s full acknowledgement of the facts and…
Read More »
• Email to a friend • Article Search •
CYSCA Hosts Young NGO Leaders from Armenia
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—The Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association (CYSCA) hosted a delegation of young NGO professionals from Armenia this spring, sponsored by the Open World exchange program of the U.S. Congress. Five young women and a male facilitator took part in a whirlwind week of meetings and site visits in the Boston area on topics covering NGO management, civic participation, the U.S. legislative process, and civil society.
The group met with Harvard JFK School of Government professors; Tufts University professors; federal, state and municipal legislative/administrative heads; NGO leaders and their organizations; and local Armenian organizations. Highlights included a meeting with Harvard Professor Kenneth Winston that covered anti-corruption. He had provided the group with a case to study beforehand, and during his meeting with them used it to demonstrate corruption issues in government. Another highlight was a panel discussion hosted by the Armenian International Women’s…
Read More »
• Email to a friend • Article Search •
Greek, Armenian Communities Call for Conditions on Turkey Trade Deal
WASHINGTON—As Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan continued his visit to Washington, D.C., the leaders of the Greek-American and Armenian-American communities joined together in formally calling upon the White House to set strict legal conditions on any new trade agreements involving Turkey.
Leaders of the Greek-American and Armenian-American communities have joined together in formally calling upon the White House to set strict legal conditions on any new trade agreements involving Turkey.
The Turkish government has, in the months leading up to this week’s Obama-Erdogan summit, aggressively pushed for Turkey’s inclusion in a far-ranging Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the U.S. and the European Union, as well as for its own bilateral free trade agreement with the United States. The American Hellenic Institute (AHI), the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), and the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), in testimony submitted to…
Read More »
• Email to a friend • Article Search •
Dr. Paul Haidostian on Haigazian’s Success
It’s always a thrill to learn about Armenian successes, and Dr. Paul Haidostian, the affable president of Haigazian University in Beirut, on May 7 provided interesting information to diasporans about his liberal arts school of higher learning during his talk at the Armenian Congregational Church, including insights into the Syrian situation.
Haidostian, a theologian and pastor, was introduced by Rev. Dr. Vahan Tootikian, Emeritus, of the Armenian Congregational Church. It was a rare opportunity to learn about Haigazian, its educational offerings and its many successes. We were surprised and proud to learn that in 1960 a group of Haigazian students, under the guidance of math and physics instructor Manoug Manougian, produced the first rocket shot in the Arab world. It was a single stage solid propellant rocket launched, and it reached an altitude of one kilometer. It later became known as the Lebanese Rocket Society launching a two-stage rocket. This was Armenian scientific ingenuity…
Read More »
• Email to a friend • Article Search •
ANCA Desk: Spring’s the Season for Renewed Energy for the Armenian Cause
Spring has sprung, and not just in the weather. With a fresh season comes a fresh outlook on everything, from work projects to family time and everything in between. That includes a renewed sense of purpose and energy for the Armenian cause.
We are already a few months into a new political cycle, but it’s never too late to start building ties at every level of government. With the 113th U.S. Congress well underway and the loss of several “friends to Armenian Americans” to election or retirement, the ANCA and its activists can’t afford to sit idly by and not foster new relationships.
Our local ANC chapters in the Eastern Region do a great job of cultivating the political relationships we’ve long had, and they have the power to reach out to potential friends too. But a local ANC can only do so much if it doesn’t have the connections someone new or experienced can bring to the table.
So I write this not just to our current ANCA activists, but also to our future friends: The…
Read More »
• Email to a friend • Article Search •
Save the Date: Philadelphia to Host 2013 ANCA-ER Banquet
PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—More than 300 supporters of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) are expected to attend the 2013 ANCA Eastern Region Banquet on Sat., October 12, at the Hilton Doubletree Philadelphia hotel.
The ANCA Eastern Region will once again honor an individual with its prestigious Freedom Award for making outstanding contributions toward the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and for pursuing other issues of importance to the Armenian-American community. Past honorees have included former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans, Senator Robert Menendez, Senators Robert and Elizabeth Dole, and most recently, Baroness Caroline Cox.
The Vahan Cardashian Award will be presented to an Armenian-American activist who has exemplified the ideals and dedication of the founder of the Hai Tahd movement. The recipients of both awards will be announced in the coming months.
According to the event co-chairs, James Kzirian and Lorig Baronian, the purpose of this event, now in…
Read More »
• Email to a friend • Article Search •
Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Act Introduced in U.S. House of Representatives
WASHINGTON– As Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Erdogan continues his official U.S. state visit, a bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives introduced the Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Act, a new measure calling upon the President to build upon the U.S. record of having recognized the Armenian Genocide by working toward improved Armenian-Turkish relations based upon the Republic of Turkey’s full acknowledgement of the facts and ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide, and a fair, just, and comprehensive international resolution of this crime, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
“We welcome today’s introduction of the Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Act,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. “This innovative bipartisan initiative, building upon the U.S. record of having recognized the Armenian Genocide, calls for a new U.S. approach to Armenian-Turkish ties that reflects our America values and recognizes…
Read More »
• Email to a friend • Article Search •
Knights and Daughters of Vartan Host Shengavit Director
WORCESTER, Mass.—On Monday evening, April 29, Vladimir Tshagharyan, the director of the Shengavit Historical and Archaeological Culture Preserve in Yerevan, was hosted at a joint dinner meeting of the Knights of Vartan Arshavir Lodge No.2 and the Daughters of Vartan Santoukht Otyag No. 5. About 100 people attended the illustrated talk at the Armenian Church of Our Saviour in Worcester. Dr. Tigran Dolukhanyan translated Tshagharyan’s comments from Armenian.
A scene from the event.
Prior to the talk, Worcester’s mayor, Joseph Petty, presented Tshagharyan with the key to the city and praised his efforts to preserve Armenia’s historical heritage and cultural legacy. In return, Tshagharyan presented the mayor with a book on Yerevan, together with a desktop Armenian flag and a flag with Yerevan’s insignia. He invited the mayor to visit Yerevan as his guest.
The oldest layer of the Shengavit archaeological site is a Neolithic (late Stone Age) settlement with the remains of…
Read More »
• Email to a friend • Article Search •
|
